Sunday, June 27, 2010

Edgar Cayce is one of the most amazing men in American history. Born in Hopkinsville, he died in his sixties in 1945, in Virginia. At an early age he discovered that he could put himself into a trance-like sleep at will. In this condition he could answer any question on the subject of medicine. Although his education was little, and he was often described as illiterate, the answers given to questions were yet couched in technical terms unknown to his conscious mind.Politicians, businessmen, scientists, priests, all visited him to see how he could help them while he was asleep. For the sick, he would prescribe drugs not yet on the market, but being released, or those of men long dead and obscure. Once, when working with a number of doctors, he prescribed a medicine none of them had heard of, or could find listed. They advertised in a medical journal seeking its prescription, but meanwhile asked Cayce to describe it while in trance. Later a letter arrived from France, from a practising doctor. It said that no wonder they could not find the preparation, it had been invented by the man’s father, and never published. However, the enclosed details tallied exactly with those Cayce gave in trance.

First a hospital, then a large association, grew up around Edgar Cayce’s work. His life was spent helping the sick, and throwing light upon the mystery of life. His “readings” have now been collected, and are investigated by doctors, psychiatrists, priests, and thousands of laymen. Certainly his life demonstrated man’s emergence from the Timeless and Eternal.

When he entered the trance-like state he was no longer limited to the confines of space or time and was able to make available to himself higher levels of consciousness. He could view the akashic records. It was a talent which would enable him to access insights into virtually anything imaginable.

The Edgar Cayce readings suggest that each of us writes the story of our lives through our thoughts, our deeds, and our interactions with the rest of creation. This information has an effect upon us in the here and now. In fact, the Akashic Records have such an impact upon our lives and the potentials and probabilities we draw toward us that any exploration of them cannot help but provide us with insights into the nature of ourselves and our relationship to the universe.

Akasha is a Sanskrit word meaning "sky", "space" or "ether. Akashic Records are a kind of library or database. All forms of energetic flux are recorded, and as thought as well as emotion and action are forms of energy, these, too, are recorded. The Akashic Records stored or housed Universal Mind are a permanent record of everything that has ever been said, thought, and done. One who is able to access this inner, Universal library of mind has before him an accurate history and universal knowledge. The Akashic Records and Universal Mind have also been referred to at various times and places as the Hall of Records, Hall of Knowledge, and by the phrase, "In my father's house are many mansions."

There is much more to our lives, our histories, and our individual influence upon our tomorrows than we have perhaps dared to imagine. By accessing information from the Akashic Records, the universe's computer database, much might be revealed to us. The world as we have collectively perceived it is but a faint shadow of Reality.

Many think the Akashic records make clairvoyance and psychic perception possible. It is believed by some that the events recorded upon that Akasha can be ascertained or read in certain states of consciousness. Such states of consciousness can be induced by certain stages of sleep, weakness, illness, drugs, and meditation so not only mystics but ordinary people can and do perceive the Akashic records. Some mystics claim to be able to reanimate their contents like they were turning on a celestial television set. Yogis also believe that these records can be perceived in certain psychic states. Certain persons in subconscious states do read the Akashic records.Any human can become the physical medium for accessing the Records, and that various techniques and spiritual disciplines (e.g., yogic, pranayama, meditation, prayer, visualization) can be employed to achieve the focused state necessary to access the Records. One who meditates regularly, over time, learns to release the conscious mind and to go deeper and deeper within to subconscious mind. There he begins to be able to perceive this Universal Knowledge of Mind and is capable of receiving the Wisdom of the Ages. Instead of being limited in their information and experience to only what is stored in their brain he or she now has an expanded consciousness that is capable of receiving the accumulated knowledge of millions of people over thousands and tens of thousands of years.

Sunday, June 20, 2010

“To acquire the habit of reading is to construct for yourself a refuge from almost all the miseries of life.” said W. Somerset Maugham. When there were no televisions or computers, reading was a primary leisure activity. People would spend hours reading books and travel to lands far away-in their minds. While technology is slowly taking a steady control over individual lives, the reading habit is fast vanishing into thin air.

Nowadays though we all want to develop reading habit, time constraints and lack of interest always puts this habit in the back burner. But we need to resurrect this habit for ourselves and our children. If we want to gift our children something real precious then we should think of reading habit. It can be a lifetime gift that our children are going to cherish forever. Despite the deep penetrating reach of the visual media, books have a definite edge over other mediums of communication and entertainment.

Books are good portable friends, which have the potential of engaging a child's mind, They can broaden the sphere of experience. A quick read of the adventures of Sindbad, or Alibaba, or Robin Hood transports the children to different worlds. They can relate to new and thrilling experiences, quite different from everyday happenings. The variety in the book reading is bound to reflect in the children's knowledge.

Child psychologists and counselors have often stressed the importance of the reading habit in modern-day children. Reading sharpens the thought processes of children. It increases their attention span. It gives them the faculty of thinking and understanding. Language is a gift for children and books give this gift in abundance. Reading a book aloud can be a good exercise not just for memorization but also for improvement of speech and vocabulary. Books trigger children's imagination. It is observed that children and teenagers who love reading have comparatively higher IQs. They are more creative and do better in school and college. It is recommended that teachers and parents to inculcate the importance of reading to children in the early years. The children who start reading from an early age are observed to have good language skills, and they grasp the variances in phonics much better.

Here are some simple suggestions you can use to help your child develop reading skills:

• To stimulate reading, keep a lot of reading materials in your house. This will increase your child's access to books and printed material. Help them understand that reading doesn't only happen at school — it can happen anywhere. Studies suggest that learners who read outside of school are more successful readers and students.

• Make sure that your children observe you reading on a regular basis. When your child sees you reading regularly, it will reinforce the importance of reading.

• Bedtime reading is considered the best quality time spent with a kid. Psychiatrists feel that bedtime reading helps to build strong bonding with the child. Reading aloud helps to build a strong emotional bond between parents and children.

• Reduce your time on TV and internet. Every minute you reduce of internet/TV, you could use for reading. This could create hours of book reading time.

• Recommending or providing right kind of books to children is equally important. Thrusting upon children a book which is of little or no interest to it is a sure way of killing their appetite rather whetting it. Presenting books to children on occasions like birthday, New Year and other festive occasions would also go a long way in creating reading interest in the children.

• Start telling an interesting story to your children and stop in the middle. Don’t finish it. Then give them the book and tell them to read rest of the story from the book. This trick works wonder and develops curiosity in the children.

• As your children become better readers, talk about what they are reading. When they finish a new story or reading assignment, discuss the main ideas, new words and concepts, and your children's favorite section. This will help strengthen your children's reading comprehension skills.

Friday, June 11, 2010

The value of thoughts are often ignored by us. We waste our time and life in useless thoughts. If thoughts are used properly nothing is impossible for us. The following passages from James Allen's "As you thinketh" are really powerful and inspirational. Read and remember his message. You may be saved.

N Ganeshan

Thoughts

The aphorism, "As a man thinketh in his heart so is he," not only embraces the whole of a man's being, but is so comprehensive as to reach out to every condition and circumstance of his life. A man is literally what he thinks, his character being the complete sum of all his thoughts.

As the plant springs from, and could not be without, the seed, so every act of a man springs from the hidden seeds of thought, and could not have appeared without them. This applies equally to those acts called "spontaneous" and "unpremeditated" as to those which are deliberately executed.

Act is the blossom of thought, and joy and suffering are its fruits; thus does a man garner in the sweet and bitter fruitage of his own husbandry.

Thought in the mind hath made us. What we are By thought we wrought and built. If a man's mind Hath evil thoughts, pain comes on him as comes The wheel the ox behind . . . If one endure in purityof thought joy follows him as his own shadow - sure.

Man is a growth by law, and not a creation by artifice, and cause and effect is as absolute and undeviating in the hidden realm of thought as in the world of visible and material things. A noble and Godlike character is not a thing of favor or chance, but is the natural result of continued effort in right thinking, the effect of long-cherished association with Godlike thoughts. An ignoble and bestial character, by the same process, is the result of the continued harboring of groveling thoughts.

Man is made or unmade by himself; in the armory of thought he forges the weapons by which he destroys himself. He also fashions the tools with which he builds for himself heavenly mansions of joy and strength and peace. By the right choice and true application of thought, man ascends to the Divine Perfection; by the abuse and wrong application of thought, he descends below the level of the beast. Between these two extremes are all the grades of character, and man is their maker and master.

Of all the beautiful truths pertaining to the soul which have been restored and brought to light in this age, none is more gladdening or fruitful of divine promise and confidence than this - that man is the master of thought, the molder of character, and maker and shaper of condition, environment, and destiny.

As a being of Power, Intelligence, and Love, and the lord of his own thoughts, man holds the key to every situation, and contains within himself that transforming and regenerative agency by which he may make himself what he wills.

Man is always the master, even in his weakest and most abandoned state; but in his weakness and degradation he is the foolish master who misgoverns his "household." When he begins to reflect upon his condition, and to search diligently for the Law upon which his being is established, he then becomes the wise master, directing his energies with intelligence, and fashioning his thoughts to fruitful issues. Such is the conscious master, and man can only thus become by discovering within himself the laws of thought; which discovery is totally a matter of application, self-analysis, and experience.

Only by much searching and mining are gold an diamonds obtained, and man can find every truth connected with his being if he will dig deep into the mine of his soul. And that he is the maker of his character, the molder of his life, and the builder of his destiny, he may unerringly prove: if he will watch, control, and alter his thoughts, tracing their effects upon himself, upon others, and upon his life and circumstances; if he will link cause and effect by patient practice and investigation, utilizing his every experience, even to the most trivial, as a means of obtaining that knowledge of himself. In this direction, as in no other, is the law absolute that "He that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened"; for only by patience, practice, and ceaseless importunity can a man enter the Door of the Temple of Knowledge.

Friday, June 4, 2010

The reason we aren't living our dreams is inside ourselves. We pretend it is people, things, and situations outside ourselves that are to blame.

Suppose I wanted to enjoy reading a good book!" but I decided to watch this movie on TV last night, and I was going to read the book afterward, but then I went out for ice cream, and I was tired, and decided to start fresh in the morning, but then I slept late, and then I went out for breakfast and took a drive past a shopping complex and decided to stop in, then I went for lunch, and then thought I'd take a nap and start fresh in the evening, but then I started watching a documentary on TV, then, of course, it was time for dinner, then I was invited to the movies, and I don't want to be rude to my friends, and besides I sort-of wanted to see the movie anyway, then I was going to go right back and read that book, but then I remembered how good the ice cream was the night before . . .

But.-that three-letter word permeates our language. It's a nasty little word. It allows us to lie to ourselves and to severely limit ourselves without even knowing it. Let's look at a typical sentence containing "but" in a simple situation.I want to visit my sick grandmother, but it's raining outside."

"But" usually means: "Ignore all that good-sounding stuff that went before—here comes the truth." The truth is that grandma is not getting a visit. The lie is that I care so much about my sick grandmother that I really want to pay her a visit. (Note my sensitivity to her need for visitation, and my compassion for wanting to visit her.)

At this point, entering stage right, are two of but's dearest friends--if only and try. "If only it were a fine spring day, I'd be on my way to Grandmother's house. If only it weren't so raining, I'd be at Granny's side right now. I'm going to try to get there tomorrow. But tomorrow never comes.

What a tragedy it is to live with the will so weak that one cannot carry out that which one sincerely intends to do or live as one has conscientiously resolved to live.

In life, we have either reasons or results--excuses or experiences, stories or successes. We either have what we want, or we have ironclad, airtight, impenetrable reasons why it was not even marginally possible to get it.

But, alas, as John Kenneth Galbraith pointed out, "In the choice between changing one's mind and proving there's no need to do so, most people get busy on the proof." In the amount of time it takes for the mind to invent a good excuse, the mind could have created an alternate way of achieving the result--rendering excuse-making unnecessary.

This choice, of course, is not a single, monumental choice. No one decides, for example, “I am going to remain the laziest person in the world for the rest of my life”. No. The choices I'm talking about here are made daily, hourly, and moment by moment. Do we try something new, or stick to the tried-and-true? Do we take a risk, or eat what's already on our dish? Do we ponder a thrilling adventure, or contemplate what's on TV? Do we walk over and meet that interesting stranger, or do we play it safe? Do we indulge our heart, or cater to our fear?

The bottom-line question: Do we pursue what we want, or do we do what's comfortable? As Charles Kingsley rightly said, “We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief requirements of life, when all that we need to make us happy is something to be enthusiastic about.

For the most part, most people most often choose comfort--the familiar, the time-honored, the well-worn but well-known. After a lifetime of choosing between comfort and risk, we are left with the life we currently have. And it was all of our own choosing.

As Henry Miller said, “Life moves on, whether we act as cowards or heroes. Life has no other discipline to impose, if we would but realize it, than to accept life unquestioningly. Everything we shut our eyes to, everything we run away from, everything we deny, denigrate or despise, serves to defeat us in the end. What seems nasty, painful, and evil, can become a source of beauty, joy and strength, if faced with an open mind. Every moment is a golden one for him who has the vision to recognize it as such.

You can have anything you want if you want it desperately enough. You must want it with an inner exuberance that erupts through the skin and joins the energy that created the world.

Mere doing never leads to success, -for back of it there is no ideal of the process, no desire to improve it, no thought-out plan, and no ideal. In mines and stores and factories and offices, there are millions of good workers. They learn to do one thing -they learn to do it well -and then, forever afterwards, they merely do. They drudge, or toil, or labor but they do not work; and -they do not succeed. You yourself may do your work perfectly -merely doing it; you may be always at it; others may be able to depend upon you doing your work exactly, with no loss of time, not missing a stroke. But all these do not lead to attainment. Purposeful doing is one step in advance of mere doing. It is based upon an idea of progress and is stimulated by a deep desire coupled with iron will power.

Things that go upward have to be pushed. Going upward is overcoming.And it is so with our own lives. Real living is conscious effort to goupward to larger life. If you are making no effort in your life, if you are moving in the line of least resistance, depend upon it you are going downward. They are content to drift and be Majorities and they are not willing to make the effort to rule themselves. They follow false gods that promise something for nothing. Rather than dispose of the barriers to our dreams, the mind disposes of the dreams.

Decide what you are lacking that you need or want. Write it down as an achievement or goal to reach by the next month or three months or year! Make the goals reasonable yet challenging. Let your reach exceed your grasp, and work toward it daily in steps you can handle. Get the best tools you can. We use one of the most powerful tools at our disposal--the mind--for our disposal. And remember diplomas, degrees are not an education, they are merely preparations. When you are through with the books, remember, you are having a commencement, not an end. You will discover with the passing years that life is just one series of greater commencements.

You are the creator of the reality you experience. Every event that occurs around you takes on meaning when you put your attention on it. During your lifetime you have been exposed to a lot of conditioning, but you have selected what seemed valid to you and made it part of your programming. If reality is getting you down, examine the programming that is in the bio-computer you call your mind. That programming can be changed at any time because you are your own programmer.